Maluwang or Maluwag?

FYI lang po. :)

A.   Maluwang - roomy, much space 
      Luwang - width / broadness / spaciousness
      Lumuwang - to become broader 

Halimbawa:

• Nagmukhang mas maluwang ang opisina matapos malinisan.
• Niluwangan niya ang bukas ng pinto.
• Maganda ang silid niya, maluwang at maliwanag.

More on Common Mistakes

Ilang mga bagay na dapat po nating bantayan sa mga manuscripts natin. :)


1. REDUNDANCY 

Halimbawa: 
"Chen, nas'an si Ate Malou?" tanong niya kung nasaan si Ate Malou. .
"Chen, nas'an si Ate Malou?' tanong niya kay Chen.

Correct: "Chen, nas'an si Ate Malou?" tanong niya.

2. DOUBLE NEGATION

Halimbawa: Hindi niya naiwasang hindi maiyak. 
(*Kung Math ito, ika-cancel natin ang dalawang hindi. So ang ibig sabihin nito: Naiwasan niyang umiyak. Walang iyakang naganap.)

Correct: Hindi niya naiwasang maiyak.
(*Puwede ring naiyak siya. Tapos. )


3. DAHIL SA / DAHIL: Nitong nakakaraan, dumadami ang napapansin kong nagkakamali rito. 

DAHIL SA - kapag ang kasunod na salita ay pangngalan (noun)

Halimbawa:

Dahil sa kahirapan...  

Dahil sa kawalan ng katarungan...

Dahil sa pangyayaring ito...

Dahil sa lalaking iyon

DAHIL - kapag ang kasunod na salita ay hindi pangngalan

Halimbawa:
Dahil wala silang pera...
Dahil shunga siya...
Dahil lumindol...
Dahil kay Einstein...


4. SINA / SILA:

Common error: 
Sila Lina yata ang bibiyahe. 

*Should be sina not sila.  

SINA kapag may mga pangalang (name) na kasunod.
SILA - (pronoun) pamalit sa mga pangalan 

Halimbawa:
Sina Lina at Marivic ay magkaibigan. Sila ay nagkakilala noong grade school pa.


5. BLANGKO ANG MUKHA -  ang literal na ibig katumbas sa English ay 'faceless'.

Kung hindi ito ang ibig sabihin, dagdagan ang phrase at gawing, "blangko ang EKSPRESYON SA mukha." Ibig sabihin, walang mababasang emosyon sa mukha noong character. 


Sa totoo lang, hindi naman big deal nga ito. Madali lang namang baguhin ng editor kung sakali. Pero mas okay siyempre kung matutunan nating ayusin habang nasa kamay pa lang natin yung manuscript. 

Salamat sa pagbabasa. :)

Presko at Sariwa

Pareho ang translation sa English: fresh.

Puwede nating sabihing, 'presko ang hangin' o 'sariwa ang hangin'. Parehong tama, pero hindi sa lahat ng pagkakataon ay interchangeable sila. May mga ibang pagkakataon na hindi puwedeng palitan ng isa ang isa.

Halimbawa ng maling gamit:

Sariwa ang pakiramdam niya kasi kaliligo niya lang.

Preskong isda. Preskong gulay at prutas. Preskong gatas. 

Sariwang tubig (fresh water). Tubig tabang na lang, hehe.

Paalala lang naman. :)

Minsan parang binobola lang ako ni Google Translate sa mga pinagbibibigay niyang translations. At least, dito, hindi naman. :)

More on Common Mistakes

Madalas napapagpalit-palit ang gamit ng mga salitang ito. Linawin lang natin nang kaunti. :)


HABANG - while, during. 
(May dalawang action na nangyayari nang sabay)

Halimbawa:
1. Nagluto muna si Bob habang hinihintay ang pagdating ni Lina.
2. Makapagsulat na lang muna habang walang tanggap na sideline.
3. Nanonood sila ng TV habang nagpapahinga.

HANGGANG - until, up to this certain place, point or period of time

Halimbawa:
1. Naglakad ako mula Trinoma hanggang Muñoz.
2. Bigyan mo ako hanggang sa Linggo, gagawin ko 'yang sirang gripo.
3. Sakay ka ng bus mula diyan sa kanto tapos baba ka ng GMA. Tapos mula doon, mag-jeep ka na lang hanggang SSS.

HANGGA'T - unless, if not. 
(Kadalasan ginagamit sa negative) 

Halimbawa:
1. Hangga't hindi ko sinasabi, huwag kang hihinto sa pagtakbo.
2. Hindi ka uuwi hangga't hindi mo 'yan natatapos.
3. Ayaw niyang bumangon hangga't walang lutong almusal.

KUNG DI - (pinaiksing 'kung hindi') if not din pero iba ang gamit sa hangga't. 

1. Kung di ka sasama, hindi na rin ako sasama.
2. Okay na sana kung di lang siya nuknukan ng yabang.
3. Masaya ngang lumuwas pa-probinsya kung di lang sobrang init ng panahon. 

KUNDI - but. Iba ang gamit sa 'pero' dahil karaniwan sa pang-negative statements ito. 

Halimbawa:
1. Hindi 'yang juice kundi itong kape.
2. Wala siyang nagawa kundi magmukmok.
3. Mag-a-abroad siya hindi lang para sa mga anak niya, kundi para rin sa kanyang mga magulang at kapatid.

Maliwanag na ba? O mas lalong gumulo? :) 

Crutch Words

Be aware of your crutch words (i.e. the words you usually use) and slowly minimize using them. Replace them with synonyms while doing your revisions. :)

Narrative Tenses

Lahat ng pangyayari sa isang nobela ay assumed na tapos na at kinukuwento na  lang ng kung sinumang narrator (puwedeng iyong isa sa characters kung naka-First Person). 

This is also the reason why we seldom write 'ngayon', 'kinabukasan', 'kamakalawa' in the narratives. Kasi tapos na nga iyon, kaya dapat: 

•    Ngayon =  nang araw / oras / sandali na iyon
•    Kinabukasan = nang sumunod na araw
•    Bukas  =  sa susunod na araw
•    Kamakalawa = dalawang araw mula noon 

Pati sa places, ganoon din. Hindi natin sinasabi na 'Nag-jogging siya rito.' sa narration. Not rito kundi roon/doon. 'Sa lugar na iyon', not 'sa lugar na ito'.  Maliban na lang kung nasa dialogues itong mga ito.

Thus, the verbs in your narratives should be in the PAST TENSE.

Examples:

•    Uminit ang ulo niya sa nakita.
•    She closed her eyes.
•    Sumakit ang tiyan niya.

Puwede rin ang PAST PROGRESSIVE or PAST PERFECT kung may isa pang action na nangyari, habang kasalukuyang nagaganap iyong first verb.

Examples:

•    He was thinking about sleeping when his phone rang.
•    Naglalaba siya nang may kumatok sa pinto. 

   (Note: Dahil nasa Tagalog, mukhang present tense yung 'naglalaba' pero dahil may isa pang action na nangyari (kumatok), past progressive yun talaga.)  

Kung nangyari iyong action bago doon sa timeline ng istorya, dapat naka-PAST PERFECT ang tense ng verb.

Example:

•    Chen had put corrections on the manuscript, when I told her it's the wrong file. 
•    He had had his share of women, before they met.  

   (Note: Puwede ring 'He'd had' kung naalibadbaran ka sa 'had had')


Pero kung may ilalagay na something na hindi mo maatim na ilagay in past tense dahil hanggang ngayon ay fact iyon, write it in another way. 

Try kong ipaliwanag, ah. Try lang.  :)

Example: 
Say, you wanted to say:      
   The earth revolves around the sun.

Write it like this:                 

•  The earth had been revolving around the sun. (happened in the past, nangyayari hanggang ngayon)
•  The earth would always revolve around the sun. (future)
•  The earth would be revolving around the sun. (future)                              

Instead of this:                   Try this:

She likes coffee.         She had always liked coffee.    
She is impatient.        She had always been impatient.
                                
If it still sounds wrong to you, rewrite the sentence or better yet, translate it in Tagalog. Mas madali kapag naka-Filipino na ang verb dahil at least tatlo lang ang tenses natin.

Kung may questions, send mo lang po sa comments section. :)

Good day, everyone!

First Meeting

Your main characters should meet within the first 10 pages of your manuscript. 

Readers are eagerly anticipating their magical, sexual-tension-filled, heart-stopping, knee-melting, blush-inducing, sparks-flying first meeting, don't make them wait too long. ;)

TIP-LET : Iwas-Lito

Hangga't maiiwasan, huwag maglagay ng napakaraming mga tauhan sa iyong nobela. Kung hindi kasi magiging maayos ang pagpapakilala at hindi malinaw sa mambabasa kung sinu-sino ang mga ito at anu-ano ang papel sa buhay ng mga bida at sa kuwento sa kabuuan, makakagulo lang iyon at magdudulot ng kalituhan.

Mga Panandang Pangsalitaan

Isa sa mga natutunan ko sa aking pagsusulat at pamamatnugot ay iyong salitang 'moderasyon'. Lahat ng bagay, maging iyong mga tuntuning pangteknikal na sinusunod natin ay dapat gawin nang katamtaman. Nawawala kasi ng kalayaan ang ating pagiging malikhain kapag nakakulong tayo sa isang ayos. 

Parang sa pagkain lang, kung pulos prito ang luto sa isda, mauumay tayo. Kailangan may pagkakaiba-iba din. Minsan, paksiw naman o kaya pinangat, inihaw, bago babalik uli sa prito. (Ayan, nagugutom na ako.) 

Sa mga nobelang sinusulat natin, hindi gaanong importante ang paggamit ng dialogue tags. Gayunpaman, pihadong makikintal sa isip ng inyong mga patnugot at mga mambabasa, kung maayos ang pagkakasulat ng nobela ninyo. Pangit kasing tingnan kung tadtad ng 'sabi niya' o 'saad niya' iyong libro natin, nakakapagod ding bigkasin.

Sang-ayon diyan, nais kong imungkahi ang paggamit ng iba pang mga salita kapalit ng karaniwang panandang pangsalitaan (pauso ko lang na salin ng 'dialogue tags') na ginagamit natin. 

Ilan lang ito sa puwede nating ipalit, mayroon pang iba na maaari nating subukang gamitin.

  

TURAN / TUGON - kasing-kahulugan ng "sagot"

MUNGKAHI - suhestyon, suggestion. Hal.: "Try mo kayang iladlad 'yang buhok mo?" mungkahi nito.

UNTAG - pagkuha ng atensyon. Pag tahimik tapos biglang kakausapin ng isang karakter yung isa. Hal.: "So...kumusta ka na?" untag nito.

ASIK /SINGHAL - pagalit ang pagkakasabi. Hal.: "Ano ba!" singhal niya.

SIKMAT - pagalit din, pero hindi kailangang malakas ang tono. Hal.: “Tumigil ka na,” nagtatagis ang mga bagang na asik ng kanyang ama.

SAMBIT - kung maiksi lang. Hal: "Oo," sambit niya.

ANAS - mahina rin ang pagkakasabi. At hindi ko alam kung ako lang, karaniwang ikinakabit ko ito kapag medyo seksi / senswal yung pangungusap o eksena at may kasamang mainit na tingin mula sa nagsalita. Hal: "Beautiful," anas ni Gideon (*tikhim*) habang hinahaplos ang pisngi ng nobya.

DUGTONG - to add; may nauna nang sinabi, karugtong lamang ito.
BANGGIT – to mention. Hal: "Liechtenstein," banggit niya.

IMPORMA – to inform. Hal: “May meeting nga pala tayo sa Thursday,” imporma ni Malou.  

PALIWANAG - kung mahaba at mukha ngang nag-eeksplika ito ng isang punto.   

KUWENTO – to narrate; kung nagsasalaysay 

DEPENSA – to defend

KAILA / TANGGI – to deny. Hal.“Hindi po totoong break na kami,” tanggi ng aktres.

SANG-AYON – to agree. “Oo naman!” sang-ayon ng dalaga.

TAWAG – to call. Hal: “Rose! Rose!” tawag ni Jack. 

BULALAS - to exclaim; malakas ang pagkakasabi, parang nagulat. Hal: "Ay, kabayo!" bulalas niya.
SIGAW / TILI – to shout, scream; may kasama itong tandang pandamdam o exclamation point (!) .

SINGHAP - to gasp; kasabay ng singhap yung dialogue.

SABAD / SABAT – to interrupt

*Mga Tala: 
(1) Maaari ring gamitin ang katumbas na salita sa Ingles para hindi pare-pareho ang tags. 
(2) Hindi natin madalas gamitin sa MSV ang tag na ‘wika niya’. Ang wika kasi ay iyong mismong lengguwahe.
(3) Gaya ng nabanggit ko sa simula nito, moderasyon ang susi. Huwag namang abusuhin ang paggamit ng tags.

Iyan muna sa ngayon. Susubukan kong dagdagan iyan sa susunod na pagkakataon.

Maraming salamat!

TIP-LET: BUKOD vs. MALIBAN

*To make this TIP-LET easier to understand, I decided to use images I found in the Internet. ;)

BUKOD - aside from, in addition, also, alongside
- is used when the object being discussed is an insider to the list of things mentioned in the predicate.  

Ibig sabihin, bukod kina Superman, kasali rin sa Justice League lahat yan !?! Whoah, ang dami!!! 

Ex:

1. Bukod sa kare-kare, may baon ding kanin at soft drinks si Ate Necy. Ang saya!
2. "Bukod sa pagtulog, paborito kong pastime ang pagkain. Obvious naman, di ba?" nakangiting biro ng ginang.
3. Mayroon siyang iniindang rayuma at arthritis, bukod pa sa eczema.
4. Bukod sa hipon, allergic din siya sa bagoong, manok at mani. 
5. Plano niya ring mamasyal sa Europe sa December, bukod pa sa balak niyang Asian tour ngayong buwan.  

MALIBAN - except, exclude, leave out, save, unless
- is used when the object of discussion is the only exception to the list of things mentioned in the predicate. (Yep, kinda like an outcast.)

Lahat ng nasa larawan ay mga planeta, maliban sa isa. #ForeverAlone

Ex:

1. Lahat na yata ng klase ng gulay nasa kantang 'Bahay-Kubo', maliban sa okra.
2. Teachers na ang mga anak ni Mang Danny, maliban kay Joy na nag-aaral pa sa kolehiyo.  
3. "Lahat ay welcome sa party ko, maliban sa unggoy na iyon," nakairap na sabi ng pagong.
4. Paborito niya ang kahit anong luto ng manok, maliban sa adobong adidas.
5. Hindi na siya dumaraan ng opisina tuwing Sabado, maliban na lang kung kailangang-kailangan. 

TIP-LET: TANGING = LANG

*(Again) TIP-LET - brief tips

'Tanging' and 'lang' are synonymous. Using both words in the same sentence is redundant already. 

Incorrect: 

Ang tanging gusto niya lang ngayong Pasko ay bagong MacBook Pro. (redundant)


Correct:

1. Ang tanging gusto niya lang ngayong Pasko ay bagong MacBook Pro.
2. Ang gusto lang niya ngayong Pasko ay bagong MacBook Pro. (smoother to read)
3. Ang tanging gusto niya lang ngayong Pasko ay bagong MacBook Pro. (Puwede na)
4. Bagong MacBook Pro ang tanging gusto niya ngayong Pasok. (voice changed)

TIP-LETS: Ano'ng vs. Anong

* Tip-lets - small tips 

Ano'ng = ano + ang 

Ex:

1. Ano'ng balak mo ngayon?
2. Sino'ng nanalong mayor?  (Sino + ang in this case.)
3. Sino'ng dakila? Sino'ng tunay na baliw?
4. Kahit ano pa'ng gawin mo, panget ka pa rin. (pa + ang)

Anong  = < everything else >

Ex:

1. Kahit anong kain, gutom ka pa rin.
2. Hindi ko alam kung anong klase ng mahika ang meron ka.
3. Anong klaseng ulam ba 'to?  

Practice:

1. Ano (ba'ng / bang) mali sa mukha niya?

2. Kahit (ano'ng / anong) gawing diet, wala pa rin.  

3. (Sino'ng / Sinong ) tatay mo?

4. Kung (ano'ng / anong) puno, siyang aakyatin. 

5. (Ano'ng / Anong ) oras ka uuwi?

Hold and drag mouse to see the answers:
1. bang
2. anong
3. Sino'ng
4. ano'ng
5. Anong

The Tagalog Romance Translation Theory

Disclaimer: This is my personal opinion, and as you know, 'opinion of one doesn't reflect the whole'. :-)

After doing two MSV Versions releases and reading around ten translated manuscripts, I have come to these conclusions: 

A. Translating is not for everyone. One has to have a strong grasp of both the languages involved. 

B. Writing skills may be useful, but it will not cover for everything.

C. Translating is more alike to EDITING than to WRITING. Here are some of my reasons:

• It is done OBJECTIVELY. 

You have to be faithful to what is written in the original manuscript. The original tone should be intact. However, if the exact equivalent in Tagalog will make it sound different or wrong, opt for a more 'natural' approach, without drifting too far from the original.   

• Your personal WRITING STYLE doesn't count. It's the writer's work that should shine, not yours.

• There's some sort of SENSE OF ACCOUNTABILITY. You are responsible for every word you will use / change/ crop / add.

• It's LESS FULFILLING compared to writing your own manuscript; less credit will be given to you.

• Much of the burden will come from: 

(1) choosing the accurate term in place of the original word, but a good English-Tagalog Dictionary can do the job; 
(2) deciding whether to metaphrase (literal translation) or paraphrase; which sentence should be shifted from active to passive voice; and which word is translatable and which is not; when to back-translate;   
(3) making the dialogues sound realistic and natural; 
(4) and lastly, (most important, IMO), making the ideas smooth to read and easier to comprehend. 

• If worse comes to worst, you may have to do some real serious editing while doing the translation. :/  

In conclusion to these conclusions, let me share this to you. 'Translation' comes from the Latin word translatio, which means 'to bring across'-- which I think should be ultimate goal of every translator: to bring across the original message / idea / emotion of the foreign writer to every Filipino Romance pocketbook reader. 

Lost in Translation

Spoiler Alert: By 2013, Bookware Publishing will start releasing Tagalized novels from different international publishers. In connection to this, I’d like to give a few pointers for those who are planning to give translating for MSV a try. :-)

• One of the main objectives of translation is for the reader to understand these novels better; to make them easier to read. So don’t use Tagalog terms that are too deep. Instead, use terms that Filipinos, in this day and age, are using. 
• Do not change the names of people, setting, events, currencies, units of measurement, and other things that reflect the life and culture of the characters in the novel.
• Do not add anything.
• Unless the publisher gave you a permission, do not crop or delete anything from the original novel. 
• Retain the tone of the novel. If the tone is serious, do not add words or phrases that will ‘sound’ otherwise.
• Translate it as it is, unless a sentence will be too mouthful to read or difficult to comprehend.
• Use simple sentences. Split sentences if needed. 
• Don’t translate idiomatic expressions literally. If there is a Tagalog counterpart for it, use that idiom instead. If there’s none, just give the meaning of the idiom in Tagalog. 
• If a certain word or phrase doesn’t have a direct equal in Filipino (or the equivalent term is outdated), retain its English form instead.
• English writers usually write longer and more detailed narratives. If you think it would be better (meaning, easier to read) to condense it, do so but with the permission of your editor.
• If you think your characters will sound odd saying the dialogue in its Tagalog form, then leave it alone.
• Don’t convert endearments if it would make the speaker (character) sound ‘baduy’, weak or lame.
• Do not split paragraphs; international publishers have their own rules regarding this.
• 'Tame' love scenes if you find it too graphic. Use the 'tamer' Tagalog equivalent words for body parts.  

Reminders: 

* Again, the goal is to make the manuscript EASIER to read. 

* Read your work to see if your Tagalog sentences make sense.
* DO NOT Google Translate. Please.
* The manuscript you’re working on belongs to someone else, and that someone has his/her own writing style. Respect it. Save your ideas for your own manuscript, and translate objectively. 

When Writing A Series...

1. Decide even before you begin the first book whether it will be a part of a series or not.
2. Treat each story as an individual book, focusing only on one pair of characters. 
3. Stir readers' curiosity about your other characters (the lead/s on the next story/ies) by making them 'look' and 'sound' interesting. Introduce them but don't give too much details, to the point that they outshine the leads.
4. Make sure that majority of the scenes in a novel will focus on the lead characters of that particular title. If a minor character will appear on more scenes than the major leads, it might confuse your readers.
5. Use the point of view of either the hero or the heroine.  
6. Each story must be different from the others. Different characters, different personalities, different goals, different conflicts; different gestures, manner of speaking and ways of thinking, too.
7. Do not overwhelm the readers with too much details.
8. Keep a series 'bible' to make sure there are no loopholes or inconsistencies, and timelines match. 
9. There should be a central theme to give your series its own sort of 'character' or identity. *
10. Give 'parallel' titles. *

*Note: For marketing and aesthetic purposes. :-)   

Tag It!

A 'dialogue tag' is the phrase or words you add after a dialogue. 

Example: "Hey!" Chris called.

In this sentence, 'Chris called' is the tag.

The main use of dialogue tags is to tell readers who is the speaker. If it's clear already who is speaking what, you don't need to add tags. It will only interrupt the flow of dialogues. 

I suggest you mind your tags later after finishing your manuscript, during the 4Rs (Read, Review, Revise and Rewrite) phase, not while writing the dialogues.

TIPS WHEN USING DIALOGUE TAGS.

1. Avoid redundancy. 

Example: "I'm shy," she said sheepishly. 

2. Avoid too many adverbs.  

Example: 
"I loved you then," he whispered sincerely.
"That is not true," she said indignantly.
"Nagsasabi ako ng totoo!" he raged violently. "Why can't you trust me?"
"Nooo!" she cried miserably. 

3. Make sure the tag matches the dialogue.

Example: 
"Get out!" he whispered.  (incorrect)

4.  English word + Tagalog word = not correct

Example: "No way!" yelled niya. 

Use either, 'she yelled' or 'tili niya'. 

5. Don't abuse 'sabi niya'.  

It's simple and straight to the point so this is actually the best tag, but don't overuse it. There are other--and more 'descriptive'--verbs you can opt for. 

Here is a list of verbs you can choose as replacement for 'sabi' or 'said':

amin
anas
angal
anunsyo
banggit
bulong
deklara
sagot
sang-ayon
tili
tudyo
udyok
untag
usal

acknowledged
argued
barked
bragged
confessed
demanded
hissed
mumbled
muttered
promised
replied
snarled
sobbed
threatened
wailed
whined

6. Make sure you're using the correct punctuation marks. 

Common GRAMMAR / SPELLING Mistakes Tagalog Romance Writers Make

FYI.  Refrain from making these mistakes if you can... :-)

• Excessive use of exclamation points (!) and ellipses (...) 
• Misuse of 'NG' and 'NANG':

          NANG - when, once
                      - same as 'noong'                       
                      - synonymous to 'upang' or 'para' 

                      - na + ng 
                      - more or anymore
                      - used as an adverb of manner 
                      - ligature for repeated words (ex: tawa nang tawa)
          NG      - of 

• Interchanging BUKOD and MALIBAN

          BUKOD - aside from

          MALIBAN - except 

• Switching KUNDI and KUNG DI

          KUNDI - but 
          KUNG DI - abbreviated 'kung hindi'  ; if not.

• Misuse of MALUWAG and MALUWANG

          MALUWAG - loose
          MALUWANG - wide, roomy

• Interchanging: 

          YOUR and YOU'RE
          ITS and IT'S
          HE'S and HIS
          LOOSE and LOSE
          LEAVE and LIVE

18 Common Mistakes Tagalog Romance Writers Make

1. Too many side characters. It confuses readers.
2. Unique but weird names of characters. 
3. Biography-ish story (focused only on one character's life). 
4. Unique but ludicrous, contrived or unrealistic plot.
5. Overused plot without new twists. Scenes are cliche.  
6. An unhappy ending.
7. Conflict is all 'internal' (e.g. heroine is afraid to fall in love and that's only the problem in the story). 
8. Juvenile characters. 
9. Inaccurate research.
10. Writing down a lot of details, bombarding readers with too much information that has no direct relevance to the story.
11. Giving out too little information about characters that readers find it hard to relate to them. 
12. Loooong narratives, making the story dragging to read.
13. Using two or more POVs (point of view) in one scene. It's confusing because Tagalog does not have gender for pronouns. 
14. No justification for some of characters' actions. 
15. Adding unrealistic dialogues.
16. Adding scenes that will not push the story forward. 
17. Not enough scenes to SHOW how and why the characters fell in love with each other.
18. No self-editing, resulting to too many grammatical/spelling errors* and unresolved loopholes. 

*Note: I might write another blog entry about the common grammatical/spelling mistakes writers make later. :)